Does anyone know what the best batteries are for a digital camera? These rechargeable Duracells I have are ready for the trash bin. I swear they are dead after 10 pictures. Documenting my projects is really a hassle! What's your opinion???

How old is your digital camera? My old one burns through batteries pretty fast, but they seem to last a lot longer in my daughter's newer camera.

Duracells are a good quality battery; however, I have found that less expensive batteries last just as long in my camera. (I don't use rechargeables. I buy Costco brand batteries.) If I had to guess, I'd say my batteries last about 150 pictures. Longer if I don't use flash.

------Paula

"In Seattle you haven't had enough coffee until you can thread a sewing machine while it's running."
- Jeff Bezos, Amazon.com founder

Try NiMH rechargeables, they are expensive but have more power and last a long time. My housemate did some tests with him camera and found the radio shack batteries to last the best, although this was about five years ago. The batteries themselves can last a long time - I finally replaced a pair that were 4 years old after frequent recharging.

My husband and I are scuba divers who are both into U/W photography, where battery life is paramount. (You don't want to be opening up a camera on a dive boat, with all that salt water around!) In addition to the camera, we each carry two U/W lights, requiring 6 AAs apiece (that's 24, or 36 if my daughter joins us). You definitely don't want your dive light going dark when you're 90 feet underwater in a cold dark lake...

These are the batteries that all my diving friends swear by: Powerex 2700 mAHa rechargeable batteries from Thomas Distributing. We bought four dozen AAs and haven't spent another dollar on batteries in the past six years. The AAs run a little over 3 bux each (in packs of 8), which means that if it lasts three or four times longer than a disposable battery, you win.

Their chargers are smart (meaning they won't overcharge your batteries)... we have a C204F and a C401FS (about 20 and 40 bux respectively). I can't recommend these guys enough. My office bought some "brand name" rechargeables (Energizers, I think) and they were pathetic by comparison. NAYY, just a very satisfied customer.

I sure hope you didn't mean you literally threw your old rechargeables in the trash! They need to be recycled, and battery stores, some discount stores and grocery stores, and Whole Foods will take them.

I hope everyone gets some good quality rechargeables! The throwaway batteries are really, really bad for the landfill. Also, one way to make your batteries last longer is to learn how to turn off the LCD screen on your camera when you are taking a picture and keep the camera off if you won't be using it for a couple minutes.

How old are your rechargeable Duracells? They won't hold a charge after a certain number of cycles. They also work better if freshly charged, and tend to loose power if you charge them and leave them sitting around for a long time.

Also, some of the camera settings use more power. Switch them off when you don't need them. For example there's a macro setting on my camera--I only need it for extreme closeups so I turn it off when taking normal shots.

I usually keep 2 in the camera and another 4 in the case ready to switch out. I seldom need to, but it's nice to have "insurance."

At least that's been my experience. I have a set of Energizers for my digital camera. I've had the camera and batteries for around 2 1/2 years. -- Edited on 6/11/08 3:00 PM --

Yes, the ones I have now are the NimH rechargeables (don't worry - I know they need to be recycled. They aren't in the trash! ). It seems like they used to work great and then just sort of went kaput. Maybe it is time for some new ones. And I have also noticed that they seem to really go down hill when I'm taking close-ups. So, if I'm going to put forth the effort of a battery shopping trip - what are all y'all's opinions????? Thanks!!!

Member since 12/31/69

Date: 6/13/08 1:34 PM

I think most batteries for digital cameras are terrible. You can't use the flash or zoom as much because it will drain the battery faster. Try not to view pictures over and over again on the camera. If you have an eye hole on your camera...use that instead of the screen to take a picture.

My generic NiMh, when drained and then freshly charged can put out about 100 shots with a fill flash between charges. They do have a regular non charging battery that is a "dry" cell that is supposed to last longer.

Well, at the risk of repeating myself, the Maha Powerex 2700mAh batteries from Thomas Distributing are da bomb. We have been using ours for nearly six years and they're still going strong. We're hard on batteries, between two cameras, six flashlights, and innumerable battery-powered toys. They're a Japanese brand, and not sold in regular stores, but believe me, they are favored by digital photographers everywhere. (Go to your favorite digicam site and look for battery reviews--they'll be there.)

ETA: If your camera has been offline for a while, when you put new batteries in, the first thing it will do is recharge its own internal battery (the one that stores your camera settings, the time, etc.) Because of this, the first batteries you put in after the camera has been idle will get used up more quickly than usual. Have a second set charged and ready to swap out! -- Edited on 6/13/08 3:26 PM --

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